The average cost of a standard double room in a European city in June is 113 pounds – three percent less than last month. Average overnight rates fell in 35 of the tHPI’s top 50 cities, but the trend is reversed in the UK – prices are higher than last month, with several cities at their highest point since August 2010. These are the findings of the trivago Hotel Price Index (tHPI) prepared each month by the hotel price comparison website trivago.co.uk.

The European hotel industry has seen room rates decline this month. Whereas a standard double room cost 117 pounds in May, the European average has fallen four pounds to 113 pounds per night. 35 of the tHPI’s 50 cities have seen overnight costs fall at least a few percent, and eleven of those saw rates fall more than ten percent. Conversely, hotel prices in the UK rose in comparison to last month, with several cities reaching their highest price in many months. Edinburgh (132 pounds, +6%) is at its highest point since August 2010, when hotel rates had reached 178 pounds per night. Cardiff (106 pounds, +21 percent) and Manchester (107 pounds, +8 percent) are also at their highest point since last year. Only three cities experienced any significant reductions: Liverpool (88 pounds, -5 percent), Newcastle (91 pounds, -5 percent) and Birmingham (73 pounds, -7 percent).

The most expensive cities this month are Geneva (273 pounds), followed by Venice (208 pounds), London (181 pounds), Paris (167 pounds) and Stockholm (159 pounds).

Falling accommodation prices in city destinations
Leisure travellers heading to major city destinations will find better deals than in previous months. In Brussels, average room rates have fallen fourteen percent to 112 pounds, while Barcelona’s hotel rates are down ten percent to 123 pounds. In Istanbul, the cost of a standard double room is 126 pounds – eight percent less than in May. Rooms in the Italian cities of Rome (143 pounds, down nine percent) and Turin (106 pounds, down eleven percent) can be had at a much lower rate, and the traditionally expensive city of Milan saw its rates sink four percent to 128 pounds. In Lisbon (95 pounds) and Madrid (96 pounds), prices are three percent lower than last month. In the Nordic region, the cities of Oslo (145 pounds, minus five percent) and Stockholm (159 pounds, minus three percent) also report declining overnight rates.

Spanish and Italian cities favorable in June
Spanish cities are favorable to travellers this month, particularly in the region of Andalusia. In Seville, a night in a standard double room costs 80 pounds (down 33%; May 2011: 119 pounds) and in Granada 67 pounds (down 17%, May 2011: 81 pounds). The average price for rooms in many other cities throughout the region is less than 88 pounds per night. Meanwhile, the Italian cities of Bologna (84 pounds, down 19 percent), Naples (82 pounds, down 5 percent) and Palermo (85 pounds, down 9 percent) are also considerably cheaper than in the previous month. For travellers considering going further east, Budapest (72 pounds, down 6 percent), Krakow (74 pounds, down 5 percent) and Bucharest (67 pounds, down one percent) may also be interesting destinations this month. The lowest average rate can be found in Sofia, where average overnight costs are just 63 pounds per night